David gilmore



n. GILMORE. ANIMAL TRAP.

(ModeL) Patented Mar. 26, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID GILMORE, OF BELFAST, COUNTY OF ANTRIM, IRELAND.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,324, dated March 26, 1889. Application filed October 30, 1888- Serial No. 289,577. (Modeh) Patented in England March 19, 1888, No. 4,185.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID GILMORE, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 67 Agnes Street, Belfast, in the county of Antrim, Ireland, have invented a certain useful Improved Small-Animal Trap, (for which I have obtained provisional protection in Great Britain, No. 4,185, bearing date March 19, 1888,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the well-known mouse trap composed of a block of wood having one or more holes bored in it and springs with loops attached to their ends, requiring the troublesome and tedious operation when setting it of tying down the springs with thread.

The most important part of my invention is a device that does away with this objectionable mode of setting, and by which traps can be set without trouble and in an instant, the said device also making this form of trap applicable for larger animals than mice. The other improvements and the reasons for them I will describe hereinafter.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my trap unset; Fig. 2, a similar view set; Fig. 3, a vertical section, showing the arrangement of the plug 1) and wire bait-holder 10. Fig. 4 is a sectional front elevation, the grooved metal, m, staple h, and part of wood removed. Fig. 5 shows the parts of the setting device, plug, and bait-holder all disconnected from the trap; f, f and f in the same figure, showing the process of making the fork f.

Similar letters refer .to similar parts in all the drawings.

The setting device is as follows: A staple, 3, made of wire, of the shape shown in the drawings, and narrow enough to go between the arms of the spring, is driven into the wood which forms the body of the trap a proper distance from loop; A Wire fork, f, is hinged to the staple s, and passes down through an aperture in the wood to near the under side of the hole or chamber, where the bait is placed. As the fork f is peculiar, I will describe how it is formed. I take a piece of wire of the requisite length and bend it to the shapef, Fig. 5. I bend it a second time a short distance from the first bend and give it a set to hinge upon the staple s, which makes it the form of f then I twist the fork, making it similar to f The second bend is then opened sufficiently to let it slip on the staple s, and closed again with pliers, the set allowing the fork to swing freely. A second wire staple, 71., of the shape shown, is driven into the front of the wood just above the hole or chamber. A holder or catch, 0, made of flattened wire or sheet metal and long enough to engage with the fork f, is hinged at one end to the said staple h. p

I am aware that round wire holders or catches have been used prior to my invention, but such have the disadvantage of getting entangled in the loops or springs; butmine, lying always at right angles to the traps, can never get entangled in this way, and are a decided improvement in the ease and rapidity of setting the traps.

Instead of cutting a slot in the wood for the loops to slide in, as obtains in the unimproved form of these traps, I face the smallersized traps with grooved sheet metal, m, and punch holes in it to correspond with the holes in the wood, and use grooved castings for the largest ones. Metal grooved in this way is an improvement, for if the loops get elongated by snapping them against the staples h the grooves in the metal allow the loops tov sink far enough for the holders or catches c to bear on the springs at their normal level, else they would not reach the forks.

Some mice, more cautious than others, instead of cutting the threads in the unimproved traps or pushing back the forks in mine, clear out the bait with their paws. In order to circumvent all such animals,lbore a smaller hole in the back of my trap through to the larger hole and insert a removable plug, 1), of wood, or one formed of sheet metal having attached to it a wire bait-holder, w. The bait being fixed upon the hook of w, the mouse or other animal cannot pull it out with its paws, and so is obliged to put its head int the trap, and is by this means caught.

The above-described plug and bait-holdin g arrangement may be omitted in traps for animals that do not pull out the bait with their paws.

I press down the spring, then bring the holder (3 ever the end of said spring, and push with a finger the fork f forward till the free end of r engages with the first bend of the fork below where it is hinged to the staple s, and this sets my trap. An animal in order to get at the bait pushes its head against the ends of the forkf, moving it back enough to release the catch 0, and the spring pulling the loop up kills the animal.

llaving fully and clearly described my invention,whatl claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a setting device for a small-animal trap, the combination of a staple, .9, having hinged to said staple a fork, f, said fork passing down through an aperture in the body of the trap to near the under side of the hole or chamber, where the bait is placed, and a staple, 7t, having hinged to it a holder or catch, 0, 01 flattened wire or sheet metal, to engage with the fork f, substantially as described.

2. A removable plug, 1.), having attached to it a wire bait-holder, w, the said plug 19 fitting into a hole in the back of trap, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

DAVID GILMORE.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES Donns HADDOCK, .TAMEs M. MoHAY. 

